Are the glorious days of Russia as a Superpower ending?

[UnslaadKrosis]

Russia has long held the mantle of the world's second strongest super-power, comparable in its military might with the United States. But even though it still boasts the World's largest arsenal of nuclear warheads, the crumbling economy and myriad of internal and external problems plaguing the country has been very detrimental to its progress and reputation on the global stage.

So what do you think? Are the days of glory over for Russia? Or is it just a lull before a storm?

 

[djordjem87]

This is all a big question and I mean all of it. America is number one and they built the whole country on debts. I wouldn't rule out Russia and I am sure that backing out is not an option for Putin so I would expect a storm.

 

[Susimi]

Russia might have been surpassed in terms of military might and Russia itself may have changed very much in recent years but I still would not say they are no longer a superpower because they can still hold their own and if push came to shove I reckon they would still put up one hell of a fight.

 

[Corzhens]

It's hard to tell if Russia will crumble or is already crumbling but one thing is sure, amid the economic hardship it may face, it will remain in the top 3 superpowers in terms of weaponry. When USSR was dissolved, the political analysts in our country thought that it was the end of Russia. But despite that big event, Russia remained in the forefront as a superpower even if there was food rationing.

 

[djdefense]

I can tell you from very informed sources that Russia is actually coming back into the fray. And they don't have any plans of poking anyone either, which means they'll keep growing. The Russian military industrial complex was almost dead, now its revived. There is a "startup" revolution going on their as we speak. So, i wouldn't count them out in military or economic terms.

 

[Rodrigo Menezes]

I don't think they will end, honestly. Russia always was the superpower country of europe, they just are. They have so much power that you can't think differently. Between Russia and the United States, I can't say which of them have the most power.

 

[UAE]

I don't think they will end, honestly. Russia always was the superpower country of europe, they just are. They have so much power that you can't think differently. Between Russia and the United States, I can't say which of them have the most power.

Not at all mate, Germany, France and UK are all superpower and their tech in term of military are way superior to those of Russia. After the Russian involvement in Syria I personally see the mighty bear declining in all phases.

 

[xTinx]

I actually find this discussion a bit disturbing, truth be told. Russia was a super power back when it was still the USSR and had a much bigger territory than it does now. Although the Putin-led Russia definitely has a formidable offense and defense, the country is still re-establishing itself as a superpower. It's hard to tag countries as superpower these days as globalization makes us focus on the economy more than military power.

 

[Redheart]

From the time the cold war came to an end Russia lost some of it's clout. Since then they have been trying to get back what they lost and the one person who is trying to make Russia as powerful as it was in 1940s-50s is Putin. He wanted to rebuild the old USSR but since that isn't going to happen the wars and display of Russia military power is a way to make the world respect Russia once again.

 

[explorerx7]

Do not underestimate the Russians. One major factor about Russia that many people are not aware of is that after the second world war Russia vowed that they would not ever again be invaded by another nation.
Napolean tried and almost succeeded, however, the brutal Russian winter broke Napoleon's army. Hitler, against advice not to do so, invaded Russia during winter and his army failed in coping with the harsh weather and were beaten.
Therefore, in spite of economic conditions their resolve is to defend themselves at whatever cost.
The game has not changed, however, it's still the same United States and Russia jockeying for the top spot.

 

[djdefense]

Yeah. And don't forget that much of Eurasia is neighbor to Russia. And they control a lot of the ocean water as well. They deployed people in Syria within days, so they are not exactly dead meat just yet.

 

[Redheart]

They however must prove they still are a force to reckon with by crushing the terrorist organizations in Syria. They've done quite well so far but whether they'll be fighting with the same enthusiasm months from now still remains to be seen since the peace talks obviously aren't heading anywhere.

U.N. scrambles to sustain Syria talks; Russia vows to crush 'terrorists'| Reuters
The United Nations strained to keep faltering Syrian peace talks alive on Wednesday as Damascus tried to press home gains against rebels and its ally Russia said its air strikes would go on until "terrorists" were defeated.

Should Russia fail to defeat the terrorists I wonder if that will dent their image as a superpower.

 

[UnslaadKrosis]

They however must prove they still are a force to reckon with by crushing the terrorist organizations in Syria. They've done quite well so far but whether they'll be fighting with the same enthusiasm months from now still remains to be seen since the peace talks obviously aren't heading anywhere.

U.N. scrambles to sustain Syria talks; Russia vows to crush 'terrorists'| Reuters
The United Nations strained to keep faltering Syrian peace talks alive on Wednesday as Damascus tried to press home gains against rebels and its ally Russia said its air strikes would go on until "terrorists" were defeated.

Should Russia fail to defeat the terrorists I wonder if that will dent their image as a superpower.

To answer your question, nope, if Russia fails to 'crush' the terrorists, it won't really hurt their image, rather it will make the terrorists look more powerful, because 'they took on Russia and were still unbeaten'. The USA has been trying and failing in it wars against terrorism for a much longer time, and I don't see a lot of people saying that the USA are not a superpower anymore.

I'm kinda worried about Russia losing its edge over its allies (and enemies) in terms of military and economic prowess, and staying relevant in the World stage as a major player in global affairs.

 

[Redheart]

I'm kinda worried about Russia losing its edge over its allies (and enemies) in terms of military and economic prowess, and staying relevant in the World stage as a major player in global affairs.

They already are losing ground to China.

I suppose if they continue stirring up trouble in Eastern Europe the sanctions [imposed] + the cost of fighting terrorists in Syria will severely hurt Russia's economy and they'd have to be forced to cut their military spending. Tough times ahead for Russia . . .

 

[T-123456]

Russia is on a suicide mission,it all depends on Syria and Ukraine,lets see what happens in the future.